Into the Future
by Pretzhog
Summary: Frazil Fudgehog is bored with his current lifestyle in today's time. Given the chance to hibernate 100 years into the future, he eagerly takes it. However his expectations of the future are soon defeated.
1. Prologue

-1**Viva Pinata: Into the Future**

**(A story by: Tobias Pretzhog)**

**Prologue**

_Mistakes, we all make them. We learn and we move on… But sometimes that's not the case. What I'm about to explain might be a little confusing if I just start from here, so I'll just start from the beginning… It was just another normal day… If you want to call it that. Like every teenager, I was spending my summer mornings sleeping in. Boy… I would have been dead until late afternoon if it wasn't for my friend Myra…_

"Frazil, wake up!" Her voice finally echoed in my head as a pillow came crashing into my face.

"Ah! … Just a few more minutes, please!" I begged as my arms covered my face.

"Frazil, it's a nice day outside! I'm not gonna let you blow it off by sleeping in again," the pillow came down again, and this time for good.

"There's always tomorrow," I groaned under the pillow, shooing her away with a paw.

"Make tomorrow today, you're not going to get any days back Frazil," Myra ended as the silence settled back in. But unfortunately, I had let my guard down to the tickle machine. I flailed my arms and legs about mercilessly in forced laughter to fend off the beast. "Heh heh heh… You're not getting outta this one Frazil!" Myra found my weak spot: My armpits.

"Myra! Stop, please! I'll wake up, I'll wake up!" I mentally waved the white flag, laughing hysterically all the while.

"Good," she began to drag me out of the bed by my legs when I yanked away from her grip, able to get up on my own. I finally opened my eyes to see a red mallowolf, smirking from her recent victory, standing at the end of my bed.

"So what did you have planned for us to do today then?" I let out a groggy yawn.

"Well there's a big gathering downtown, something about the 'Gateway to the Future' or some baloney. I thought you might be interested in something like that,"

_She was right, it caught my interest alright. But if she could see into the future, she probably would have let me sleep to my heart's content. Anyways, I was curious about this 'Gateway to the future.' I asked Myra for the details, however all she informed me of was an assumption of hers that she though it was some breakthrough with technology that was probably going to change the future… Well, she wasn't far off I'd say._

"Boy it's hot outside," I fanned myself off with a paw as we completed the last few steps to the convention.

"You should have brought a few ice packs in a cooler then…" Myra lectured as we welcomed ourselves in.

"Meh… I'll live, hopefully," I wiped the sweat forming on my forehead as I gazed over my surroundings.

"Well this is it," Myra halted and placed her paws on her hips, as if she was already bored.

"Why not have a look around then?" I tugged her with my free paw over to a nearby information booth.

_It was like the roles switched around, I was the enticed adult and Myra became the impatient child wanting to go home… Or at least somewhere else. With a little effort, we came to find out that this 'gateway to the future' thing was an opportunity for normal, everyday piñatas like us a chance to 'hibernate' into the future. The business behind preserving artifacts and certain life forms were opening its doors, welcoming all who were interested, or at least had the money, the opportunity of a lifetime. I was skeptical about it all at first, but as I delved deeper for information, the more I became fascinated._

"I can't believe you're hooked on this thing, Frazil, let's just go to my house and play a videogame," _Was just one of the many complaints Myra sputtered out as the day went on. I tried my best to tune her out, but every major attempt got more and more annoying, Eventually we broke out into an argument about it._

"What's wrong with life today Frazil? Why are you so fascinated with going to the future?" Myra got in my face. I had to push her away to gain back my personal space.

"Don't you see Myra? The future holds promising things," I started to explain.

"So? What if this is all just a scam? Just a way to steal your money and leave you frozen for good. Have you thought of that?" The mallowolf countered back.

"What would give you that idea? Maybe they need the extra bucks to extend their research? Have _you_ thought of _that_?" I recited her words in a mocking tone.

"Okay, maybe this business is really legit then, No one's guaranteeing you the future that you're imagining in that thick skull of yours!" Myra knocked on my head a few times.

"Grr… Quit it!" I batted her paw away, "So? I'd rather be there young than old… Anyways, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't go either!" I retorted.

"So this is what it's all about? Prolonging your youth? There's more important things than that Frazil, what about your friends, or your family?" _I didn't have many friends really, there was just Myra. And as for my family, I really didn't talk to them much seeing as I live on my own now._

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and take risks. Seriously, where would we be now if we didn't do the things we did?" I pointed out.

"Yeah, and sometimes certain fudgehogs shouldn't be so cocky and arrogant about their decisions," the mallowolf growled.

"Ugh… You're so difficult sometimes Myra…" I grumbled.

"I wouldn't be standing here talking you out of it if I didn't care about your well being!" She crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"Well there's nothing you can do or say to talk me out of it!" I mimicked her body language.

"Hmph… Fine then," She started to walk away, but turned back to say one last thing, "I'll be the one to tell your parents about your choice today. Consider it my last favor as friends Frazil," and with that she marched off, steaming pissed.

_And it all went downhill from there. I watched Myra leave until I couldn't spot her in the distance. Once she was gone, I had gone to register myself up for a hibernation cell. Luckily it was cheap enough that my pocket change was enough to buy one. Before I had jumped in, I stood over my cell and gazed inside, chewing on the words Myra said earlier. She did have some valid points, I'll give her that. But now that I had time to really think about it, I came to figure out that Myra nor my family would be in the future, or at least anyone I knew. It probably would have been a good idea to make friends with another 'future fanatic,' just for the sake of having someone you know meet up with you once you awoke._

_ But I was crappy with making friends, it was a miracle that Myra stayed with me for so long. When I reflected upon myself during those few moments alone, _I_ ended up not liking me either. So it made me wonder what Myra saw in me that I didn't. Well the future presented me with one thing that's for sure: A new start. An opportunity to etch out a clean slate._

As I rested inside the cell, waiting for it to engage, I took a few moments to cherish today. However it wasn't that long before I was knocked out for a good one hundred years. One hundred years that felt like just a second.


	2. Day 1

**Day 1**

_And once the cell glass door slid open, I woke up in a different room. It was all a mess, bookshelves knocked over, papers scattered, and dust had just about covered everything._

"The hell…" I couldn't help but stretch out my arms and release a yawn after sitting up.

"Don't worry, you're safe for now," A voice coming from upstairs took me off guard. I glanced around the area to spot a cocoadile around my height descending from the stairs slowly, hobbling a little in his steps.

"Safe? What from…? What happened?" I surveyed my surroundings once again, wondering if this was really just a dream.

"We can discuss that later, tell me, you're not injured or anything, suffering from any diseases are you?" He asked me.

"Um… I don't think so, Why?" I returned eye contact.

"It crosses you off the list as a liability, that's for one," It sounded as if it was a joke, but the cocoadile didn't seem to be the joking type.

"So what about the others? What happened to them?" I started asking the questions.

"You mean the other… _Hibernators_?" I nodded, "well most of them have been killed… You see, we live in a merciless future now. And not everyone who has come in these… _Time capsules, _survive," He informed.

"Killed? How? What for?" I began to worry about what could have been my fate.

"For the time capsule's parts of course! Piñatas have been scavenging all over ever since the meteor hit,"

"A meteor…" I fell back into my pod, trying to picture the scene in my mind.

"Yes, and after that, it was pretty much a free for all for all who survived," the cocoadile poked his head into the pod, probably to make sure I wasn't sleeping.

"What about you, what are you doing here anyways?" I kept an eye on him.

"Simple, I've come to retrieve you. None of us were able to hack into the code of your time capsule to open it, we simply had to wait," He leaned back, escaping my sight.

"Why couldn't you just bust it open?" I wondered, peaking over the rim of the cell to see if the cocoadile was still here.

"We didn't want to risk killing you in the process, we've come to find out tampering with these time capsules can prove fatal to the piñata inside."

"Yikes…" I was left speechless.

"You were one the few that actually survived while still being completely intact…" He fidgeted slightly in place.

"So I would be able to meet piñatas from my time then... Right?" I wondered.

"Yes... We have a scarce few in our faction." The cocoadile nodded.

"It'd be nice to meet some piñatas I can relate to."

"Well if you want to get started with meeting the crew and some long lost friends, I've got the ground cruiser waiting outside," he motioned a stubby paw towards the stairs.

"Sure... I'm kind of a bit hungry as well," I grabbed at my rumbling stomach as I carefully climbed out of my cell.

"We've got plenty of food as well," the cocoadile smiled as he accompanied me up the stairs.

My legs wobbled as I began to climb the stairs, leaving me to rely on the support of the railing and the cocoadile. It was going to take awhile to get used to my body again, one hundred years in inactivity left me a little sore and numb.

Once we reached the outside, I stopped in my tracks as I gawked at the destroyed world that was the future. Buildings that once stood proudly were now reduced to mere rubble. It was a terrible sight to witness and stomach. Luckily I was able to hold my own as the cocoadile scooted me along.

A little further, I spotted a pretztail who was nearly the size of a mallowolf, suited up in futuristic battle gear all shaded in gray. The only way I could tell he was a pretztail was that he went without a helmet.

"I see our target's awake," The pretztail worded his sentence with mocking gaze as he leaned against the door of the bulky vehicle behind him. 

"That reminds me..." The cocoadile stopped in his tracks, "we haven't properly introduced ourselves, I'm Davis," he extended a paw towards me.

"Frazil..." I shook it awkwardly in mine, facing the pretztail who waved for my attention.

"I'm Richie," he announced without requiring a handshake, "anyways, we should get going before some raiders show up. Who knows how many might be roaming around here," the pretztail suggested as he opened the door of the vehicle to let us in.

"Right," Davis nodded as he cut in front of me, hurrying himself inside. I kept my mouth shut as I hobbled right behind, nearly flopping myself face first into the seat, soon crawling towards the back.

"Careful..." Richie said as he hopped into the drivers seat.

"I'm trying..." I groaned as I got comfortable in my seat, nearly jumping out of my mache as the door closed themselves automatically. Richie chuckled at bit at my surprise, or at least I thought he did, he concealed his amusement pretty well.

"Hang on kid, you're gonna be in for the ride of your lifetime," the pretztail said before turning on the vehicle and stomping on the gas pedal. The force of the abrupt movement nearly crushed me into my seat. I kept silent as I didn't want to draw more attention to myself, but the wicked sensation of speed made me want to scream my lungs out.

"It's gonna be a few hours before we get there" Davis informed me over the roars of the engine. I only nodded my head in response, knowing if I would speak, my voice would crack up in fear. Crossing my fingers, I hope they couldn't read my body language, the last thing I need is for them to get a rile out of me.

Eventually, I grew accustomed to the speed and reclined back peacefully in my seat. My eyes fell shut for a quick nap, Unfortunately, Richie had stuck in a hard rock CD that blasted my eyes right open again. It was easy to see that Davis was displeased with the pretztail's choice of music, but no amount of complaining would get Richie to change the music.

"Quit your whinin'," Richie rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. By this time, Davis had already gave up and covered his ears with his paws. I followed his example as Richie's music was certainly not my cup of tea.

"Richie!" Davis shouted, turning down his music, "your racket has attracted bandits!" he scowled as he pointed to the pretztail's side mirror. I swallowed the lump in my throat, wondering what would become of us.

"Hm? ...Oh crap," Richie grumbled, "take the wheel for me, I'll take them out!" The pretztail climbed out of the window and onto the roof above. I soon found out there was a manual operated turret placed right on top of the vehicle from the constant discharge of bullets that echoed as they sounded off. My body flinched at the sound, still being edgy from the raider attack, I didn't dare look at them.

"You guys seem to be ready for anything-" I yelled over the gunfire as the returning projectiles ricocheted off the vehicle, it's sharp sound silencing me instantly.

"Well we weren't ready for an ambush thanks to Richie," The cocoadile growled.

"How many are there?" I asked, soon hearing a distant explosion.

"Dunno, but they're down one." Davis acknowledged the explosion as he concentrated on his driving. Richie's battle cry could barely be heard over the rain of the bullets. I didn't know whether to be intimidated by it or to laugh my ass off at it. Maybe it was a strategy of some sort to throw the enemy off balance. Anyways, it didn't take Richie long to rid us of the approaching raiders.

As the pretztail returned inside he kicked Davis over into the other seat.

"Hey! Watch it!" Davis grumbled as I could rest assured that we wouldn't be killed.

"Sorry," Richie said halfheartedly as he took the wheel again. I began to believe this was the way Richie had always acted, I made a mental note of it for future encounters.

My eyes spotted Richie's paw reaching for the CD player again, only to get slapped away by Davis', who swiftly ejected it and threatened to throw it out the window if the pretztail dared blast the speakers out with it again.

"Fine! Just put it down!" Richie begged as the cocoadile conformed, placing the CD into the glove compartment.

"You can play it as loud as you want when you get back... with _headphones_," Davis added as he locked it up, sticking the key under his seat. The pretztail mumbled some curse words under his breath, obviously directing them at the cocoadile. Though the cocoadile was unfazed by the words, happy by the lone fact he took his revenge on Richie.

"So how much longer 'till we reach our destination?" I asked.

"About a few more minutes," Davis answered as he peered back at me.

"Alright," I replied with a sigh as I rested my head on the glass window next to me. The barren wasteland had taken most of my attention away as we came closer. My mind came across memories of the past, I sorted through them until I came across those that held Myra in them. I began to wonder if she was still alive. If one hundred years had certainly past then Myra was either a really old hag, or already dead by now. I kept her in my thoughts until Richie had the nerve to needlessly slam on the horn.

"We're he-e-ere!" The pretztail bantered in an obnoxious sing-song tone. I growled at him as I blinked my eyes open to catch sight of a gigantic glass dome towering over us, "welcome to the 'E' of EON, kid."

"This is the base?" I gasped, gawking at the building that was enclosed inside.

"Sure is Frazil," Davis answered as Richie drove us through the opening metallic gates.

"You could rule the world with something this big," I continued to admire the base in complete awe.

"Ha- I wish," Richie scoffed, "We're still at war with bandits, raiders... And sometimes ourselves."

"Our-ourselves?" I questioned.

"Yeah... But you'll find out for yourself later," Richie discontinued the topic as he parked the vehicle in the middle of nowhere. I swear I heard Davis mutter out, "lazy ass," as Richie jumped out. We both followed suit soon after, trailing right behind Richie.

"Before I turn you in, it's only fair I give you a quick tour, Frazil," the pretztail informed me as I chewed on the words 'turn you in.' Richie said them causally, but they didn't sound good at all to me.

"Alright..." I responded, despite getting bad vibes about it. Trailing along, I kept Davis close to me, knowing he was the more sane of the two. Once we entered the base itself, we walked into a small containment cell. I had no idea what it's purpose was until it sprayed us with a mist of was seemed to be like water, but I was smart enough not to drink it.

"It's a chemical bath," Davis helped me put the pieces together, "you have no idea what kind of bacteria or diseases you might be harboring, so a chem bath is a must."

"As I said, you guys are prepared for everything," I commented as I shook off the excess chemicals from my mache. Another piñata through a PA system gave us the clear as the other side of the cell parted open, allowing us access into the base.

"In a world like this, you need to be," Davis replied as we entered the main room. We were surrounded by multiple piñatas hard at work. Some on computers, conducting maintenance, elaborating their ideas on blueprints, even slacking off.

"So where to first?" I asked.

"Well, here you got your operations room," Richie motioned all around him with his arms.

"Operation room? It looks like a giant workplace! What do you guys do here?" I exclaimed.

"It's basically works like what you would call the internet," Davis began to compare, "everyone doing everything, only to stop for sleep... Or for bathroom breaks. Even then we have back up to replace them."

"Oh wow," I was speechless as Richie kept us moving.

"I'll show you to the beds, it's where you're gonna be sleepin'," The pretztail guided me along with a paw, nudging me forward.

"Well..." Davis started, "at least you can rest assured that this is the most boring part of the tour," the cocoadile sighed as he trailed along. I couldn't help but chuckle at his comment. After a few minutes of walking we arrived to the bunks, the style and setup looked very formal... Very bland if it weren't for individuals' decorations.

"You weren't kidding," I gawked as a few snores of snoozing pinatas called out.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Richie edged me forward a bit, "pick a bed and make yourself at home."

"What about the rest of the tour?" I asked as I spun around to face him.

"I still have to get that set up," the pretztail walked out on us, not before poking his head back adding, "'till then, Davis will be your guide."

"Hm... Well then," Davis nodded as Richie disappeared, "after you choose a bed, the next place of interest is up to you," he followed me as I eyed up each bunk bed.

"Place of interest? How many are there? I don't even know any!" I took a seat on the empty bed in the corner.

"Don't worry, how about the cafeteria? You said you were hungry," the words reawakened my starving stomach.

"Now that you mention it..." I let out a nervous laugh as my stomach growled along.

"Well what are we waiting for then?" The cocoadile said as I hopped off the bed.

"Lead the way," I held my stomach as we walked. I cringed whenever my stomach had anything to say. Davis chortled about it now and then, making me feel more uncomfortable, but thankfully he didn't comment about it.

Unfortunately, lunch was put on hold for a bathroom break. I waited outside of the guys room until Davis was done. During the wait, a group of girls came down the hall, offering their smiles and waves. I waved like a moron as usual as they passed by. Talking with women wasn't really my strong suit... Well, Myra was an exception really. She was easy to talk to, and her accent was silly, welcoming even.

"Frazil? You there?" Davis caught me daydreaming.

"Oh- Sorry about that, let's go," I followed him along, leaving my thoughts behind. We eventually made it into the cafeteria where I found the line to be surprisingly short. Once I got a hold of a tray, Davis immediately tells me what kinds of foods to try. And he doesn't stop at that as he starts piling my tray with samples.

I surveyed the foreign food over carefully as the cocoadile picked out a free table for us. As we sat down, I began to fork with my food a bit, gawking at how unnatural it appeared. I tested different pieces out with a little nibble or two.

"Don't tell me you lost your appetite already!" Davis sputtered in mouthfuls.

"No, it's not that! ...It's just I'm not used to this food," My stomach argued, begging for some real food.

"Oh of course...! Not even a day acquainted yet and I'm already forgetting the fact that you're from the past," the cocoadile slapped his forehead as I continued nibbling tiny amounts, trying to adapt myself to the food. "So... Is the past really as they say it is?" Davis asked.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know... Peaceful..." The cocoadile spoke the word as if it was taboo.

"Yeah... Why do you ask?" My face remained the same.

"Well if there was really a strong established peace back then, you must have had a really good explanation for hibernating then," Davis studied me over carefully, "care to enlighten me on what it was?"

"Um, well..." I scratched the back of my head, wondering if it was safe to lie my way out of this one. "I guess you could say it was out of sheer curiosity..." I sighed, glancing down at my tray.

"That's what most of the hibernators say as well..." The cocoadile groaned as I spotted Richie approaching our table.

"I had a hunch I'd find you guys here," The tall pretztail sat down next to Davis.

"You and your hunches give me a headache Richie," The cocoadile grumbled.

"That's cause they're mostly right!" Richie snickered with a smirk on his face. My hungry eyes spotted out the apple in Richies's paw, I couldn't help but wonder where he got it.

"Richie..." I tried to stop myself from drooling.

"Yeah Frazil, what is it?" The pretztail turned to face me.

"Where'd ya get the apple?" My eyes locked onto the fruit.

"Well I'll tell ya secret, you get these for doing hard work and being a high rank," Richie took a noisy bite into the apple.

"Awwh..." I complained, knowing it'd take me years to get some normal food.

"Here, don't say I didn't give you anything," the pretztail placed the partially eaten apple in my paw.

"Finally! Something edible!" I grinned, taking a few big bites out of the apple.

"Whoa," Richie grabbed my paw that held the apple, "you might wanna make that last, you never know when you might get another apple again..." The pretztail gave me a sly glance, as if he wouldn't share his wealth with me again.

"I see..." I gawked at the apple, questioning whether or not to take my time with it.

"Anyways," Richie changed the subject, "Once you're finished, I'll take ya on that tour. Plus I got a lil' surprise for ya."

"Oh really? Is it more fruit?" I smiled, hoping I hit the nail on the head.

"No... But it's better!" Richie's eyes lit up.

"Fried thistles?" My smile grew wider.

"...It's not food," the pretztail's palm slapped his forehead.

"...Oh... Alright," my eyes fell back onto the apple I was holding, contemplating taking another bite.

"Don't fret Frazil," Davis chuckled, "I'm sure you'll bump into some fried thistles sooner or later," Davis assured me as my stomach forced me to take another bite of my apple.

"I hope so..." I munched away, leaning my head on my free paw.

"Excuse me, I gotta use the restroom again," the cocoadile stood up from his seat.

"Again?" My eyes widened, "didn't you just go like an hour ago?"

"I did, but this food doesn't agree with my stomach!" Davis groaned as he rushed to the nearest restroom.

"...You get used to his bathroom trips after awhile..." Richie laughed lightly, turning his view back to me.

"So it's an often thing for him?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering how bad his digestive system is.

"He's got a weak stomach and bladder. Don't tell him I said this, but I almost feel sorry for 'em... Almost," the pretztail whispered his secret to me.

"Heh... I didn't know that. You think they'd change his meal after knowing something like this," I commented.

"Oh, they don't, as far as I know... Only you and me know about his little problem," Richie said casually.

"Why doesn't he tell anyone else?" His fact made me wonder.

"Because it's obviously embarrassing, I had gotten the _pleasure_ to know after seeing him clean up one of his accident. Needless the say, it was an awkward moment. Luckily for him, I was the only one to bear witness," Richie kept his voice down.

"Yikes... That must be uncomfortable to deal with such an issue..." I became lost in thought for a brief moment.

"Yeah, it's just a heads up that you'll be seeing him take off like that randomly," the pretztail shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright..." I realized as I reached the core of the apple and pouted.

"Why don't we discuss the tour I still gotta give you?" Richie changed the topic.

"Sure," I nodded setting the finished apple on my tray.

"Well I can take you to three places at the moment, you can choose the order. We got the hangar, which is my favorite place to hang out. The rec-room, and the surprise I got in store for ya," Richie winked, causing me to hesitate a bit.

"Uh... Let's just go with that order then," I didn't give it much thought after being took off guard by Richie's gesture.

"Then it's a plan. I'm ready whenever you're finished with your lunch," the pretztail concluded.

"Can we at least wait for Davis?" I said, wanting him to accompany us so I wasn't the only one to put up with Richie's terror.

"And have him drag us down with his bathroom breaks? We're on a strict time limit here." Richie stared at me as if I was crazy.

"...On second thought... Never mind," I sighed, beginning to fork at the oddities on my plate.

"And on first thought, it looks like you're done eating," the pretztail assumed... And assumed right.

"...Yeah," I hated to admit it. I wanted to wait around until another merciful pinata came around and provided me with something that actually tasted good.

"Then let's hurry before Davis gets back," Richie stood from his seat, motioning me to stand up as well.

"You sure he'll be alright on his own?" I asked concerned about the cocoadile as I stood up and followed. 

"Yeah, he's used to sitting by himself sometimes," the pretztail said casually.

"...He doesn't seem like the type to be..." I mumbled under my breath, "...So where to first again?" I asked.

"The hangar, trust me, it's the most epic part of the base," Richie bragged.

"...I'll take your word for it," I wasn't too excited about going there. I glanced around the place, avoiding eye contact as the pretztail led me to the nearest elevator.

"After you," Richie waved me in as the doors parted open.

"...Thanks," I rolled my eyes once I passed Richie, his attitude was starting to bug me. But then again I haven't indulged myself in the company of others to be comfortable with their behavior... Myra was the only exception. Richie soon entered, pressing the button to close the doors behind him, not caring to see who else needed to board the elevator. My ears picked up the complaints of other piñatas as the pretztail dialed for the bottom floor.

"I take it you don't like other company..." My eyes edged over at Richie without fully facing him.

"If we would have let them in, it would have taken forever to get to the hangar with all the detours."

"If you didn't want detours, why didn't you just take the stairs?" I gave a light, snide reply.

"Stairs are for chumps," the pretztail smirked.

"...Whatever..." I didn't feel up to arguing over it. The short descent was taken in silence. It wasn't until the doors opened that Richie started talking again.

"Well this is it, the great and mighty hangar," the large size of the room alone was breathtaking.

"Holy... This is ginormous," I gasped at the spacious room, the long and wide walls and the ceiling that capped it shut.

"Oh yeah... But it's the vehicles here that complete it... Maybe if you're lucky, I'll pull some strings and let ya test drive one of 'em," Richie blathered as I gawked at the all-terrain vehicles, small warships, aircrafts, and even some spacecrafts.

"I said it before... And I'll say it again, you guys are prepared for everything..."

"Ha ha ha..." The pretztail laughed for a moment, "for every one of us, there's three outcasts probably in a raider's clan or something, it's mandatory to be armed to the teeth and ready for anything when we're out there," Richie gloated.

"With so many vehicles here... How do you remember them all?" I asked.

"It's simple actually, you got your GC's, your WG's, AR's, and ST's"

"...Wait, what? Slow down!" A headache was beginning to well up in my head as Richie laughed.

"Okay okay," the pretztail motioned me over as he walked up to one of the land vehicles. "You see this?" He gave the armor a few knocks as I nodded. A piñata hollered from under the vehicle.

"Oh... Sorry," Richie ducked down to peek at who was under the machine for a brief moment, "Anyways... This is your average G-C."

"...G-C?" I recited, contemplating what the letters stood for.

"Yeah, G-C... Ground-cruiser. If it has wheels, it's a ground cruiser, simple enough for ya?"

"Oh, I see now!" An imaginary light bulb lit up over my head.

"Yeah, this baby, by the looks of it, is able to travel across sandy and mucky terrain," his words made me glance at the tires, which looked wide and bulky, perfect for crushing small lifeforms as well as what Richie had mentioned.

"Those wheels look terrifying," I commented, applying a paw's pressure against the tire.

"They're pretty fast as well, you should see this one in action when you get the chance!" Richie bragged up the G-C.

"So what are the other one's you mentioned?" I was still curious.

"Other whats? ...Oh! Yes, come on!" Richie waved me on to follow him.

"What'cha showing me this time?" I asked as we wandered about.

"...This, right here," He pointed to a small, jet boat.

"Looks tiny..." I chuckled.

"But this sonavabitch is speedy," the pretztail defended it.

"...So what pairing of letters is this classified as?" I changed the subject.

"W-G... Water-glider. We have some special G-C's that can transform into W-G's when they hit the water, it's pretty nifty if ya ask me..."

"Innovative..." I nodded, baffled by their technology.

"And these over here," Richie pointed out to the aircrafts in the back, "are A-R's, A-K-A, air-riders."

"Look at the guns on them..." My jaw dropped at the sight.

"Yeah, the deadliest artillery for the deadliest fighters, nothing less than the best," Richie smirked, saying his words as if he recited them a thousand times before.

"I'd hate to be caught in their hail of bullets," I swallowed hard, imagining the devastation these things were capable of.

"Well you don't have to be, seeing as you're on our side," the pretztail chuckled.

"It's a good thing I am too..."

"...And maybe one of these days, I'll take you up into space..." Richie's words stunned me.

"Sp-space? You mean _outer_ space? You've got to be joking!" I stammered, still overtaken by his offer.

"I'm not... Not even in the least... I still have yet to enjoy outer space myself. The boss says if I keep up with the mining quota, I'll be piloting a ST in no time," the pretztail replied, stuck in a dreamy trance.

"...an ST?" It sounded awfully close to STD, which made me slightly hesitant of the term to be honest.

"Space-traveler," Richie clarified, walking over to the spacecrafts.

"Oooh, I see..." I replied, still feeling a bit awkward.

"We haven't used them much, if anything, they're for sending officials up to the moon to discuss matters with our allies," the pretztail explained.

"...So there's a base up on the moon?" My eyes widened.

"Yeah, it's a mutual base set up for meetings among the three factions..." Richie replied.

"Three factions? Davis said we're one, but what are the rest?"

"Okay, let me back track. Together, we're EON. E-O-N. Each letter stands for a fraction, We're E. E is for Excavation. We pretty much dig up pretty rocks and send them over to the 'O' faction." I listened in, "O stands for Operations, they take the stuff we find and assemble it into the fancy tools, vehicles and weapons we three factions use. E is useless without O, and vice versa. The 'N' faction is different, it provides for all of us, But still requires the help from the O faction... And that's pretty much EON in a nutshell for ya," Richie concluded.

"So I guess that provides more than enough reasons to why the outsiders are always after EON's resources," I concluded.

"Yeah... There's never a day of rest, but then again I don't hate those guys completely... They got families to feed too," Richie sympathized.

"Hmm, probably," I shrugged my shoulders, knowing there are probably more selfish reasons than just that.

"Anyways... You've probably had enough of the hangar for now... Any longer and I'd never be able to save each other from the clutches from this place," The pretztail patted my back, nudging me back towards the entrance.

"Most likely..." I kept checking over my shoulder, eating up any last look I could get at the spectacle before the doors closed on us. "...So where to now?" I asked, forgetting what was next already.

"Uhh... Oh yeah, the rec room," Richie pushed for ground floor as the elevator started to move again.

"What's so special about that place?"

"Just a nice place to unwind... Or for some friendly competition," the pretztail snickered, as if he was trying to egg me into playing an arcade game with him or something.

"Sounds like my kind of place," I remembered sitting at home in front of the television with a controller in my hands, relaxing with what ever game I was playing at the time.

"Well you won't be disappointed then," Richie assured as the elevator stopped and the doors parted open once again.

"With what I've seen of this place so far, I don't think I will..." I laughed, knowing that EON alone was far from disappointing. Other piñatas didn't hesitate to enter once we departed from the elevator. I had to squeeze through the mob, whereas Richie just plowed right through the mass, making me wish I was a tad larger.

"It's not that far from here, just stick by me and don't fall behind," Richie informed me as the crowded hallways took me back to my school days. I hated navigating through the sea of piñatas back then, just as much as I hate it now. At least I had Richie to help pave the way to where ever the rec room may be.

I was able to breathe easy once we arrived. The rec room's appearance wasn't what I had pictured in my mind. Instead of being an arcade crossed over with sports room, it turned out to be pretty much a training room for gun and driving practice.

"So what do ya think?" Richie nodded with an open smile as the chatter and commotion inside almost overpowered the pretztail's volume.

"Uh..." I couldn't find a way to put it politely.

"Speechless? You're about to have fun! Come on!" The pretztail shook me from my silence and pulled me inside.

"Ah!" I almost tripped over my own feet as I was dragged in.

"Careful there!" Richie caught my fault.

"I know, I know," I shook his paws away, regaining my own balance.

"Well what are you waiting for? The fun's just waiting for us!" The pretztail dragged me off again, "put this on," the next thing I know a helmet takes over my head, leaving me dazed of my senses for a moment.

"Aaah!" I almost fell over again as I struggled to see through the glass visor.

"Hold on to this," Richie placed a plastic futuristic looking rifle in my hands, completely harmless. I even tested it out, pulling to trigger, just to hear a clicking noise of plastic on plastic. "...And step into this box right here," the pretztail pushed me through another the door. I winced as I heard the door lock behind me.

"...Thanks a lot Richie..." I mumbled under my breath as my visor went completely black, "who turned out the lights?" I shouted, nearly dropping my gun as I felt my way around.

"Don't worry Frazil, the game's starting up, get your gun ready," I heard the pretztail call out from the other room. As much as I hated Richie, I had to follow his advice, him being a superior and all. I lifted my gun up, soon seeing the lights turn back on, but the room was different this time.

"Whoa, what happened to the room?" I exclaimed, wondering why I could see the outside through glassless windows.

"It's the game, the objective is to protect your fort from outsiders," Richie revealed more of his advice to me. Taking his word, I kept my gun pointed at the horizon.

"_Damn... I'm shaking_," I thought to myself, trying to keep my gun stable. Even though this was a game, I was on edge. It felt so real, I was scared that if I were to get shot, it would hurt like hell. I didn't stick to one window, knowing that the enemies could come from any direction.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out, I can see the game you're playing, so I'll tell ya where they're coming from," the pretztail offered.

"Okay..." I nodded, still keeping a sharp look out.

"Behind you!" Richie warned. I wasted no time turning around to see a large G-C charging from the distance. I tested the trigger again to see a stream of yellow glowing pellets being shot out of the barrel. It only took a few shots to take the G-C down.

"That's it? That thing was weak!" I complained, feeling ripped off for overestimating my enemy.

"Don't get cocky now... I set the game on easy for ya," The pretztail laughed.

"Oh..." His words were the ultimate buzz-kill as it lowered my defenses.

"But don't stop having fun!" Richie reminded me as I kept switching directions, searching for the next enemy. Another G-C popped out from the horizon, this time taking the advantage of shooting first. I dove down as the bullets whizzed over my head.

"Holy geez!" I yelled as my heart was about to pop out of my chest.

"Don't worry about the bullets Frazil, they don't leave any marks!" The pretztail poured more advice into my head.

"...Really?" I poked my head out, only to get a face full of bullet. The impact forced my head back a bit as I fell over on my hump.

"...But that doesn't mean they bite!" Richie blown up with laughter, taking joy in my suffering.

"You could have told me that sooner," I attempted to rub my snout, but was blocked by my helmet.

"You never asked..." The sly pretztail threw an excuse at me. Grumbling in between insults at Richie, I pulled myself up and opened fire at the G-C's general direction. Eventually the vehicle was scrapped, bringing a sense of relief with it's demise. That relief soon left as a trio of G-C's entered the battlefield.

"You gotta be joking me!" I sputtered as I wasted no time initiating the battle with a few rounds. I kept close behind the protection of the steel walls, ducking down when the assault grew too hot. With some determination and persistence, the group of G-C's were reduced to a pile of burning metal.

"Good job Frazil, you're catching on!" Richie congratulated me as I tried to wipe the sweat from my forehead, forgetting once again that I was wearing a helmet.

"Uh, thanks..." I chuckled nervously, wondering why he was complimenting me. Scratching the top of my helmet, I pondered whatever came over Richie. After I realized that I couldn't reach my hair, I turned my sights back on the war turf to catch a small group of piñatas roaming together, heading towards my base. They were too small in the distance to get a good shot at, though that didn't deter them any from unleashing a bullet storm my way.

Most of the projectiles didn't even hit the base. Their efforts made me snicker a bit. "_You think they'd be smarter than this_?" I raised my weapon and readied myself for their arrival. Peering in closer, I noticed one of the bigger piñatas taking out a bazooka, forcing me to swallow hard. If bullets hurt, then missiles were sure to kill.

"Don't let his fancy toy intimidate you any!" Richie stirred my morale slightly.

"...Y-you sure I can't die in this game?" I desperately craved an answer.

"Dying in a simulation? Are you joking? ...Though of course you're going to feel a lot of pain, but don't let that get ya down!" The pretztail replied, remaining strangely optimistic.

"Can't you turn the pain off?" I begged, hoping there was a way to save my hide from a world of hurt.

"Sorry, no can do, but you can buy upgrades and armor in the simulator's shop afterwords with the credits you've picked up along the way," Richie revealed, breaking my hopes in half.

"Cre-credits?" I stuttered as the bazooka-wielding piñata took aim at the base.

"Yeeep," Richie confirmed as a missile ejected from the barrel, charging right for me. Not knowing what else to do, I plunged for cover and placed my paws over my ears. I crossed my fingers that I'd still be able to have my eardrums intact after this was all over.

Once the missile hit, I nearly jumped out of my mache from the ground-shaking racket it brought with it. It became more of a worry as the blast begin to tear the base apart, setting everything else that was still standing on fire.

My mache began to burn, causing me to howl in pain. I began to roll around in a final effort to put the fire out and stay in the game. But the stench of failure filled my nose as the smoldering remains of my mache were charred to a black crisp. I rested on my back, feeling the multiple degrees of burns all over my body. Every moan and groan couldn't describe the pain that raged through my body.

"Frazil, Frazil, Frazil..." It didn't take a genius to know that Richie was disappointed. I was in too much pain to reply, so I had just lied there helplessly. My vision grew black, it led me to believe that I was out for good. The belief that I was dead left as quickly as I heard a door crack open with footsteps swiftly approaching to confront me. "You gotta keep your head in the game," The pretztail yanked the helmet off of my head, driving off all of the pain.

"Hey, it was my first try..." I countered as Richie gave me a paw back up, "I've only done things like that in video games!" the pretztail brushed me off and plucked the plastic gun from my paws.

"Well you should have been taking notes then," the pretztail only lectured as he led me outside of the simulation room.

"Hey! I didn't know I'd be sent to a broken future! It never crossed my mind!" I grumbled, wishing Richie would cut me some slack.

"It's always good to be prepared," Richie replied, heading for the exit as I followed him.

"But there was no need for war back then! There was nothing to be prepared for!" I kept trying to drive my point into him.

"But look at us now! We're making an effort to keep the outsiders out," I assumed the pretztail was talking about bandits and raiders, "...Anyways, I guess I can show you that surprise I've been holding back on," Richie motioned with a paw for me to keep up with him.

"What's the surprise?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the pretztail.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise then would it?" There was the trademark Richie attitude showing off once again.

"I guess you're right," I gritted my teeth and dealt with it. "...Can I at least have a hint?" I requested.

"Alright... Let's just say... It's a blast from the past, heh heh heh..." The pretztail chuckled as if it was a crummy joke, making me a little nervous.

"Okay..." I raised an eyebrow, cautiously wondering if it wasn't just some kind of prank. Richie and I had boarded the elevator once again, the pretztail still hogging it all to ourselves, closing the doors as soon as we entered them. I kept my mean opinions of Richie to myself as we ascended skywards. I noticed the elevator stopped at the top floor, whatever the pretztail had planned, it was sure to be important.

"Almost there," Richie assured me as the doors parted ways, revealing a short hallway to another door. Richie pushed one of the buttons near the door. "I brought you that thing you wanted boss," Richie made his statement sound unappealing to my ears as he spoke into the small speaker posted on the doorway.

"Well what took you so long Richie? I told you I demanded to see him instantly!" A familiar voice barked back at the pretztail, catching my attention.

"Sorry boss... He said he wanted a tour an-"

"Don't try to talk your way out of this one Richie!" The voice cut the pretztail off.

"Okay ma'am..." Richie gave up trying to defend himself.

"...What are you waiting for Richie? Send him in!" The voice summoned.

"Right away ma'am!" The pretztail sprang back into step. It was kind of amusing to see Richie get ripped a new one, especially by a woman. Richie poked the code into the keypad to open the door. The pretztail wasted no time shoving me inside, taking the time to close the door behind me as well.

"Well that was rude..." I mumbled a comment back at Richie, but he probably couldn't hear me through the door.

"Fraziiil!" That familiar voice cried out as I was unexpectedly overtaken by a giant hug, lifting me up off my feet.

"Aaah!" I tried to wiggle free, to at least get a good look at who tried to scare the crap out of me.

"You still haven't changed a bit," the voice commented as the arms put me down.

"Huh?" I instantly turned around to see a slightly aged, red mallowolf, "...M-Myra?" The name slipped out of my lips as I tried to register the image before my eyes.

"You remember me!" The mallowolf cheered as I was drawn in her arms again, struggling to breathe.

"How... Could I... Not?" I gasped for air once Myra released me.

"It's been so long... I was starting to believe that you didn't make it," The mallowolf still kept her paws on my arms, still in disbelief to what she was seeing. I was still in shock too, seeing as I was able to find Myra, and to witness how much she's matured... It actually got to me once I thought about, all that time wasted when we could have enjoyed a better past together.

"Yeah... With the conflicts and all, I... I kind of regret making that decision of going to the future... Or here actually," I admitted as my cheeks flushed red and my eyes welled up with tears.

"It's alright Frazil, I'm lucky enough just to see you alive," she ran a paw through my hair.

"I'm sorry Myra..." Tears fell down my cheeks as I leaned into her arms, wrapping mine around her waist.

"Don't be Frazil... You have so much to learn and so much to gain," Myra held me in her grasp.

"...I don't know if I'm gonna like it here... Richie's a jerk and Davis is... Well, he's another story and-"

"Shhh..." Myra placed a finger against my lips as she stepped back slightly, "You can't fix who they are Frazil, but I'm sure I can partner you up with someone who'll fit your needs," the mallowolf offered.

"...You mean... You, right?" I glanced back up at her, holding the fact that at least I still had my best friend.

"Frazil... I'm the head of this faction, I can't always be there to comfort you," I could see the sadness in her eyes as it slowly took over mine, "I have important duties to uphold. That means I can't be there to keep you in line or to console your sorrows Frazil. I'm thankful just to have a few minutes to talk to you!" Myra kept positive.

"...You're right," I snorted my mucus back up my nose, not wanting it to droop out, "...So who's gonna be the one to keep me company then?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it Frazil, I'll take care of that. You just worry about what is in store for you tomorrow. As much as I hate to say it, I'm putting Richie in charge of you," Myra braced herself.

"Whaaat? Why?" I complained, knowing even Davis would be a better choice than Richie.

"Because if he doesn't treat you with respect, it gives me the authority to yell at him about it, he hates it, fears it even!" The mallowolf laughed.

"Uhh..." I was left speechless, not knowing how to reply to his statement.

"Don't worry Frazil, he'll be respectful, and if not, he's got me to deal with, you just say the word," the mallowolf patted me on the back.

"...Okay," her words were starting to make since, but I didn't trust that she alone could make Richie stop being Richie.

"I'm sorry Frazil, but I have other plans to tend to. There's a secret elevator in the back behind the bookshelf," Myra pointed out with a finger, "Richie will be waiting for you down on the other side... It was a blessing to see you again Frazil..." She smiled as she lead me along towards the bookshelf.

"Yeah, I'm more than thankful to see a familiar face here," My eyes kept trailing back to Myra.

"As am I," the mallowolf agreed as she pulled out a book from the shelf, resulting in the bookshelf to part to the side. "I'll do my best to check up on you from time to time, okay Frazil?" she asked as I stepped inside, soon turning around to face her.

"Yeah, I'll look forward to it!" I replied, knowing it would be the only thing to look forward to.

"Goodbye Frazil!" Myra waved as the door closed. It was already too late for me to say farewell by then. I sighed instead as the elevator automatically took me down. Realizing that this elevator was faster than the others, there wasn't that much time to reflect on what just happened.

"Well how'd it go?" Richie asked instantly once the doors opened.

"Good... I didn't know Myra was the faction leader, why didn't you tell me before that?" I glared slightly at Richie as I departed from the elevator.

"You never asked," Richie used the same excuse again, "...Anyways... You know the boss personally?"

"...Yeah, why?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering what Richie was getting at.

"I want details!" Richie stopped in his tracks and took hold of my shoulders with both paws, his unusual enthusiasm frightening me, "tell me everything you know about her!"

"What? Why? ...I wouldn't even tell you anyways!" I shook the pretztail's paws off, scowling at him for his nosiness.

"Come on!" The pretztail begged, "I need an edge on her, I can't always let her have the better of me."

"No, Myra is a very nice piñata! You just fail to see it!" I walked away, already knowing this wasn't going to end nicely if it kept going.

"Look, Frazil, maybe you haven't seen the side of her I've seen..." Richie followed anyways.

"And maybe you haven't seen her true side either..." I turned to say before resuming my walk. Thankfully Richie didn't purse me, giving me some peace to plan my thoughts out carefully. I soon realized that no one gave me any directions on where to go after. All I was told was to meet up with Richie, and he had to push my buttons the wrong way. Where was I to go now that I split from him?

I concluded that the best place right now would be to get some sleep, I don't think anyone would mind really... The only problem was finding my way to the bunk room. I refused to go back to Richie for help, and Davis was nowhere to be seen. Not to mention Myra would be too busy to help me out now. All I could do was walk aimlessly and cross my fingers in hopes that Richie wouldn't follow me.

I kept traversing the halls and stairs, in search of the bunk room. But with every step I grew more tired until I gave and sat against the wall, eventually falling asleep.


End file.
